stellans

Green! Green, green, green...and then sweet...then gone. This is a lovely blend which reminds me of One to Tie, Two to Win though sweeter and 'juicier.' I wish it had longer staying power though, because I have to apply it again in less than 20 minutes to be able to smell it on my skin again. It also doesn't have a lot of throw, as I need to bury my nose in my wrist to really smell it. However, it does last quite well in a scent locket and it smells really great layered with a dirt blend, like Deep in Earth. One star out of 5 for this blend, due to the lack of stay power and low throw (I know there's a correct term for this, is it sillage? I'm never sure).

Very nice dirt blend made wonderful by the floral notes! Dirt tends to amp on my skin, which is fine since I like that note, but it's also nice to smell other notes occasionally. When I first opened up the imp, I smelled no dirt at all which made me a bit apprehensive because I wanted dirt, but once it was on my skin there was dirt, all right. Dirt + rose geranium at first, then I smell the yew note underneath. I never did smell much moss (I don't think), but this is still a great dirt-based blend because there is just that little bit of difference from the Lab's other earth blends: the rose geranium and the yew really are good combined with the earth note. Three of 5 stars.

This was a long-ago frimp in a swap, and I'm just now gettng around to testing/reviewing it. Unfortunately, it's not a blend which is working for me. First, there was no chocolate in this for me at all, which was a major disappointment. I may have come late to a deep appreciation for the Lab's chocolate notes, but come that way I did and when a blend lists chocolate as a note, I really want to smell it. Second, the fruit notes were really indistinguishable from one another, and turned to a sugary-powder on me, I smell like Lik-M-Aid, and that's just not a scent I want to have wafting under my nose all day. Vice is not for me.

At first, I thought this would be too sweet for me; it seemed to be all 'super Snake Oil' for some reason, and I got no deep incense or evergreen to leaven the sweetness. But it didn't take long for the sheer beauty of this blend to bloom, and now I'm in thrall to the incense-y goodness. I am reminded of a nice, dark little Pagan shop I used to visit all the time before moving to TN, and that is a very good memory to be reminded of, IMO. I think I'm going to add this to my bottle-want list.

I didn't know about this thread until the Snake Pit was being discussed on the Carnaval Diabolique thread. My favorite Snake Pit blends are: 1. Western Diamondback (mmmmmm, leathery goodness) 2. Habu (the teak in this is just amazing) 3. King Cobra (wonderful incense, yum!) 4. Australian Copperhead (the acai in this works on my skin wonderfully) 5. Boomslang (I didn't used to like chocolate as a note; this changed my mind, and now I like many chocolate-containing blends!) 6. Cottonmouth (love the florals in this!) 7. Temple Viper (lighter incense, but still yummy!) 8. Coral Snake (blood orange and apple are delicious, and the lemon doesn't interfere at all) 9. Death Adder (vetivert! Rawr!) I can't wear: Green Tree Viper (eek! Mint!), Saw-Scaled Viper (raises welts on my skin), and don't like to wear: Asp Viper (the almond makes me feel sick to my stomach), Banded Sea Snake (aftershave!)

This is a lovely leather blend, not least because of the lavender note which lends a crispness to the smooth, sinous smell of leather. On me, it's leather right off the bat, but the lavender shows up quickly and duels with the leather for dominance. This does not happen. Leather is the dominant note and Lavender learns her lesson. But soft, demure, yet strong (the iron fist in a velvet glove?), Lavender is still there: like wearing a lavender sachet next to one's skin, under the leather corset. p.s. the lime? Total no-show.

When I was little, my favorite thing in the whole world to wear every day I could get away with it was a pair of real leather chaps. And not just any leather chaps, oh no: mine were red! With silver bosses! These were the coolest thing in the world to a little girl growing up in west Texas, and I wore them until they didn't fit any more (I think it was about 3 years because they started out too big). Red Rider is what I remember those chaps smelling like: smooth, sweet, just a touch spicy, and wonderful. I think the balsam gives this leather blend a really different and lovely sense of being in the woods but not too far in...the leather is stronger than the other notes, even the balsam, and I like it that way!

Leather! Myrrh! Red Musk! (Yay, no black amber on me!) This is powerful leather, with the deep underpinning of myrrh and the sexiness of red musk (which can turn on me, but doesn't in this blend) and it takes one by the nose and says, "Hello, mortal!" This is what it smelled like at the Renaissance Faire, when I bought a leather belt which was cut to my measure right there: the raw edges of the leather combined with the smooth finished part, and then what it smells like after being next to my skin. The resins are just amazing, but it's the leather which is the star of this particular blend, and it rules. Mightily.

Not sure if you wanted bottle pics or just the label art, but here are the bottle pics I have: I should have been more specific...label art, as I need to make icons.

I got this as a frimp in my very first BPAL order, and being in the throes of lavender madness, was very disappointed in the lack of lavenderness and put it in my 'try again later' pile. Fast forward to earlier this year: I am now wholly owned by the Lab's leather notes, and when searching out all such, rediscovered my put-by imp of this blend, and...wow. Just wow. This is such a lovely, lovely leather blend that I am bitterly sorry for all the time I've wasted not wearing it before now! I still get little or no lavender when wearing this, nor really do any of the other notes stand out in a major way, but the leather is not at all harsh and overpowering. On the contrary, I think the reason the sage, carnation, cedar and vanilla all combine so very well that they support the leather to the heights of delight it reaches in my nose. There is a smooth gentleness to this leather, like a beloved pair of supple and soft gloves, which fit better than anything else. I don't even like vanilla, but I don't think this would be the same blend without it. I can't smell the lavender, but it is essential to the blend as a whole. This is probably my favorite of all the Lab's leather blends; itsmells like no other leather blend I own, and I love it. Love it, love it, love it. LOVE. IT. Five of 5 stars.

This blend surely paid to age, because my first impression of this last year wasn't a good one: it was very aftershave-y, so much so that the leather was overshadowed. However, after a year, I've come to a new appreciation of it. The leather note is that of well-cared for tack or boots, rather than a more decorative leather item (like a coat). This leather blend is strong, but smooth, and there is now a watery touch just underneath which is very pleasant to the nose. I love this perfume, and am very grateful for having more than a decant to hoard.

Does anyone have pictures of the Who Killed Amanda Palmer (WKAP) series? I specifically need Conservatory Tableaux, Joyeux Noel, Unexpected Golf Hazard. Thanks!

I fell in love with this when the decant circle I participated in sent me a just-testable-enough sniffie of this marvelous scent. By dint of some judicious swapping, I managed to scrape together 4 full imps, which now reside peacefully in a pretty little rollerball bottle. I get no verbena at all from this blend; it's all lovely, lovely purple flower (iris or violet? I waffle back-and-forth!) with just a hint of benzoin and amber, but mostly the lovely, quiet purple. This is a very subtle scent, and does not have a lot of throw, but it lasted a long time past initial application. I love both iris and violet, so any blend which highlights them is bound to become one of my favorites. 4 of 5 stars!

Infernal musk, red patchouli, lilac cologne, mahogany, lemon rind, oakmoss, leather, and vanilla husk. oh, sweet! Patchouli and leather...this is my dream scent come true, right? Well, actually: yes! Yes! YES! Crowley is an amazing (and how many times has that word been applied to a BPAL blend? How many grains of sand on the beach?), and absolutely lovely. At first application, the musk, patchouli, and leather notes are uppermost to my nose, with all the other notes mere shadows on the wall. And thank goodness for that, because I don't want to smell cologne even if it is lilac, nor am I much interested in lemon rind. However, the combination of all these side-notes make a truly lovely background for my own favorite stars of the show: patchouli and leather, admirably supported by the musk. But for me what really makes this a blend to be loved, worn often, and hoarded in multiple bottles is the drydown. As Crowley dries on my arm, a sensual and smooth leather note appears and takes over. The patchouli/musk notes are still there, oh yes, but the leather is now what makes me sigh in delight. It's been a while now since my fascination love obsession with leather began, and I have now many leather loves, but Crowley is up in the top 7 (by my calculations, there are 88 BPAL perfume oils which admit to a leather note; I now lack only 4!). This is a smooth, well-worn but well-cared-for leather, the kind a jacket might be made of, a jacket kept and worn for years and years: soft, supple, and altogether delicious in both texture and scent.

Ravens call, are you listenin'? In the lane, blood is glistenin' A terrible sight the mayhem tonight walkin' through a battle-weary land... Wow. This Lunacy evokes a very strong sense of The Morrigan for me: all dark, and terrible, and savage...but terrifyingly lovely as well. To my nose, the benzoin (which has always come across as resin-y to me), patchouli and myrrh reign supreme, though the spices and vanilla are recognizable. I agree with the previous posters who say this is a morpher; smelling it in the bottle I worried that the slight cologne-ish scent would spoil this for me, but I was oh-so-wrong! Raven Moon didn't even have to dry to morph into instant love for me, because I love it from application to dry-down. Now I'm sorry I only bought 2 bottles!

I third the approval of the new sepia old-fashioned appearance of the labels! They do go with the amber bottles better, but I like the old labels with the cobalt bottles too.

I have to admit, this was the Rider I most looked forward to: leather, sandalwood -- what's not to love? *sigh* On first sniff, there is a sourness which speaks (to me, at least) of jasmine, and I get nothing else. However, on drydown I get the leather note a little, as well as a bit of the sandalwood, but there is still a slight sourness which spoils it. I finally washed it off, being unwilling to smell sour for any longer, I don't know about this one, but I'm hanging on to this for a while just in case. But man, I was <i>so</i> looking forward to it and then to smell sour? argh. ETA: Wow. What a difference a little time makes! This bottle now smells of leather, lovely incense-y leather. Thank goodness!

I'd like to second the comparison of Lust and Mircalla... and I actually like Lust better! w00t!

I like this blend! It isn't as dark as the description might lead you to believe; the Dragon's Blood always brings a fresh, lovely floral note to my nose when it's in a blend. The amber, which isn't always a note I can wear, plays very nicely with the Dragon's Blood, and the currant lends a sweet fruitiness to the whole. Rage? Only that it's been discontinued; this is a lovely perfume.

While on a total leather kick these days, I have to say I love the rough darkness lent to this blend by the vetiver and black musk. Its description as 'sinuous' was very well-thought of, because that's exactly what this is: sinuous. The character for which this blend is named is very well served by his namesake scent, because it is a powerful, dark and has that delicious hint of evil.

This is a review of the original Unreleased Black Orchid first, and then the more recent Cobwebs Trunk Show v5 version. Original Unreleased: I wish I could say this is a rare I don't mind missing, but it wouldn't be true. I love the scent of this, even though I get no patchouli at all; this is a very delicate aquatic floral, and it's gorgeous on my skin. I had more than the measly 1/2 decant I have now, but in a fit of good will I sold it to a forumite who wanted to wear it for her wedding. C'est le vie! Black Orchid v3: watery, and vaguely powdery, but still lovely. Not my favorite though. Black Orchid v5: This has the lovely, earthy patchouli I was looking for! This is my favorite of all 3 types.

I must join the chorus of dislike I'm seeing here: the uppermost note my nose picks up is bubblegum, sliding into public restroom airfreshener. Lurking underneath this rather icky sweet smell is an unpleasant sourness which leads me to believe either jasmine is in this, playing her usual nasty tricks on me, or there's yet another floral note which hates me, which is as of now still unidentified. And another rare breaks my heart.

I'm glad I swapped for this rather than paying an exhorbitant amount for it out of pocket; it always seems less painful that way when it doesn't work out quite right. This blend has a sourness at the back edge of the aquatic note that speaks to me of jasmine. Mean, evil, straight-razor-toting jasmine. And it doesn't like me. At. All. *sob*

To begin my week of 'Nothing But Rares" I chose my solitary decant of a fantastic leather scent: Dead Man's Hand. Contrary to one forumite's opinion to me in a PM, this is by no means a dry leather scent. Rather, it is the scent of a well-loved and often-worn pair of soft gloves, or maybe someone's favorite suede shoes (blue?). There is a definite softness to this blend, though it does start off with an oily tang which fortunately burns away quickly once applied. The throw is moderate, but the stay so far this morning is quite good; it's been a bit more than 3 hours since first application and I still catch it as my arms move. I didn't wear it in a scent locket because there is so little of it in the little vial. This is a wonderful accomplishment, IMO: the smell of leather without the actual use of animal products. And I want more. More, I say! ETA: Since writing the above, I was lucky enough to buy not one but two bottles of this amazing leather blend (one with a vintage label). It truly is a remarkable blend!

I finally had to give up on Appleworks when I updated my OS to Snow Leopard. The two just wouldn't play nice when it came to my humongous BPAL database. Solution? I downloaded the trial version of Bento 2, was able to import my Appleworks database seamlessly, and have used it very happily since. I'm going to go ahead and spring for the program at the end of the 30-day trial period. It has a lot of features Appleworks didn't, though it is only a spreadsheet/database type of thing (no word processing, for example) but that's what I need. Color me happy with Bento 2! (DISCLAIMER: no connection in any way except as happy user.) p.s. I've tried to use online organizers, and I just really prefer having one on my own computer to fiddle with even with offline; plus, Bento 2 syncs with my iPhone! w00t for gadget love!